Friends join family in sorrow over death of Armstrong

SPRING VALLEY — The grieving family of LaShanda Armstrong was joined Thursday by people from every chapter of her life.

Adam Bosch

SPRING VALLEY — The grieving family of LaShanda Armstrong was joined Thursday by people from every chapter of her life.

They came from Newburgh and Middletown, Spring Valley and Nyack to say goodbye to a young mother who many say was depressed when she drove herself and her four children into the Hudson River last week.

Meave Ryan said the horrific night will replay in her mind forever, especially the little boy in dripping-wet clothes who yelled for help as cars zipped past on a Newburgh street. Thursday was the first time Ryan had seen 10-year-old La'Shaun Armstrong, the sole survivor, since she pulled him off Water Street and safely delivered him to the Newburgh Fire Department. LaShanda's three youngest children drowned along with her in the river.

"I drove past the scene yesterday," Ryan said outside the church in Rockland County, "and I thought about that van in the water and started bawling."

The boy's aunt, Angela Gilliam, called Ryan Wednesday night to thank her for saving La'Shaun.

"I told her I did what any normal human being should have done," Ryan said.

Ryan joined a huge pack of mourners in the back of the First Baptist Church until an usher led her past LaShanda's childhood friends, her children's nursery school teachers and neighbors. She was taken to the front pews where Datrice Armstrong, LaShanda's mother, wrapped her in a long hug.

Ryan said she would have a message for the boy when she saw him: "La'Shaun, I'll always be here for you."

Three young teachers from the Newburgh Children's Center on South Street also showed up to support the family. While they rarely saw LaShanda Armstrong, the teachers said they had fond memories of La'Shaun and his younger siblings. They playfully referred to them as "the L's," since each of their names started with the letter.

"La'Shaun had been such a good brother," teacher Shannon McLoughlin said. "Whenever his baby sister cried, he always made sure he was there to hold her."

Katrina Whatley-Taylor, a longtime friend of the family, remembered LaShanda as a caring mother who always lent an ear to friends in need. She only wished that LaShanda reached for help before taking the lives of herself and her children.

Whatley-Taylor said she hopes LaShanda's tragic end will help others. "She was depressed, but it's not just her who's struggling with depression," Whatley-Taylor said. "If anybody out there is depressed about anything, know there are people you can talk to."